Two-headed walking stick

ABSTRACT

A two-headed walking stick is provided that comprises a variety of cane tips which may be used interchangeably. The walking stick defines two heads, one on either end of the stick, both of which may accept any one of a variety of cane tips selected to provide support for a particular walking surface. The walking stick also defines a gripping surface that may employ longer-than-standard grips on both ends of the stick and a strap to accommodate securely holding the device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/994,842 filed Sep. 20, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

A walking stick is a tool used by many people to assist them in walking.Walking sticks come in many shapes and sizes. The present invention isdirected to a walking stick designed to aid people in walking on varioussurfaces. In particular, the present invention is directed to atwo-headed walking stick that uses both ends of the walking stick. Moreparticularly, a two-headed walking stick according to the presentinvention accommodates the use of a plurality of interchangeable walkingstick end tips which are selected based upon the surface upon which theuser is walking.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

Balance-impaired persons use walking sticks to give them a better senseof the vertical position, thereby lessening conditions such as vertigo.Without the walking stick, it is easy to walk at an angle, and perhapsnot move in a straight line. Typically, a walking-stick is held in thestronger hand. Muscle-weakened persons exhibiting reduced strength ornerve action may need a stronger weight-bearing walking stick to takesome of the load normally used by the afflicted leg.

Walking sticks or canes are generally used in the hand opposite theinjury or weakness. This may appear counter-intuitive; but this allowsthe walking stick to be used for stability in a way that lets the usershift much of their weight onto the walking stick and away from theirweaker side as they walk. Personal preference, or a need to hold thewalking stick in their dominant hand, means that some users choose tohold the walking stick on their injured side. Walkers are another devicethat serve this purpose. Walkers are held in front of the user and allowthe user to lean heavily on them. In addition, walking sticks, alsocalled trekking poles, hiking poles or hiking sticks, are used by hikersfor a wide variety of purposes.

The most common accessory, before or after purchase or manufacture of awalking-stick, is a hand strap to prevent loss of the stick should thehand release its grip. These are often threaded through a hole drilledinto the stick rather than tied around the stick. A clip-on frame orsimilar device can be used to stand a stick against the top of a table.In cold climates, a metallic cleat may be added to the foot of thewalking-stick. This dramatically increases traction on ice. The metalliccleat is usually designed so it can be easily flipped to the side toprevent damage to indoor flooring.

Different handles are available to match grips of varying sizes. Rubbertips or ferrules give extra traction on most surfaces. Nordic walking(ski walking) poles are extremely popular in Europe. Walking with twopoles in the correct length radically reduces the stress to the knees,hips and back. These special poles come with straps resembling afingerless glove, durable metal tips for off-road and removable rubbertips for pavement and other hard surfaces.

U.S. Patent Publication 2005/0211284 is directed to a trekking staffhaving a solid shaft portion and a hollow elongated chamber portion. Thedevice provides sufficient strength for allowing a user to dynamicallyload the trekking staff with a significant portion of the user'sbodyweight, and with a minimal possibility of the shaft portion bendingor failing. The hollow elongated chamber portion is detachably coupledto the solid shaft portion, and can accommodate a multiplicity ofhiking-related devices. A grip portion has a shape that conforms to ashape of the trekking staff and can include a strand of cord-likematerial.

U.S. Patent Publication 2003/0145665 is directed to a land mine probewhich includes a handle and a first shaft extending from the handle andterminating at a tip. In one embodiment, the probe includes a secondshaft extending from the handle and terminating at a second tip. Inanother embodiment, the shaft includes a plurality of segmentsreleasably attached to one another and releasably attached to thehandle. In yet another embodiment, the probe includes a soundamplification device. In still another embodiment, the probe includes adevice for emitting light in a direction towards the tip.

The main difference between a two-headed walking stick and other moreconventional walking sticks known in the prior art is that none of theprior art walking sticks comprise two heads and permit the user to mountdifferent tips at the same time. For the above reasons and others, atwo-headed walking stick is a very useful and functional innovation thatmany people will use.

Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide awalking stick with two different types of cane tips that can be used fordifferent kinds of walking surfaces at a moment's notice. With twoheads, one gets twice the duration and durability of one cane tip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a two-headed walking stick (hereinafter,a “THWS”) with a variety of cane tips which can be used interchangeably.The THWS defines two heads, one on either end of the stick, that can beof great assistance for persons that have difficulty walking and requireassistance in maintaining balance. The THWS also is useful when walkingor hiking on trails, climbing hills, climbing stairs, and just walkingfor fun. In this case “two heads” are better than one.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides a three-dimensional rendering of the two-headed walkingstick according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 provides a detail representation of a threaded end and cane tipaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 3 provides a three-dimensional rendering of the two-headed walkingstick according to the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1, a THWS (10) may have two different types of canetips (12) and (14) that can be used for different kinds of surfaces at amoment's notice. With two heads, one gets twice the duration anddurability of one cane tip. If the cane falls one does not have toadjust the position of the cane in order to use it again—just pick it upand either end will suffice. Should a user need the other cane tip, allone has to do is turn it around and have a ready working end. One canhave a cane tip on one end comprising a hard, rubber, flat, crutch tipthat is used on a relatively firm or hard ground surface. This shouldgrip most walking areas quite nicely. Alternatively, should the groundbe relatively soft, such as after a rainy period, a wider tip with aprotruding surface(s) might be of use. In either case, one has a THWSthat is functional on two different kinds of surfaces.

One may also find a THWS useful in going up and down hills on a hikingtrail. This type of assistive device may also be used on stairs. If onedoes decide to sit down and rest, it is easier to lean the stick againsta vertical surface without having it fall down since either end shouldprovide more stability.

The cane body shaft may be fabricated from lightweight aluminum,titanium or any other suitably rigid material. One embodiment of thecane body shaft (15) defines a cylindrical cross-sectional shape;however the cane body shaft may define any suitable geometriccross-sectional shape including, but not limited to, a square, pentagon,hexagon and the like. The device may comprise shaped or beveled ends(16), threaded ends (18), or studded ends (19) to receive the variouskinds of cane tips that might be utilized. The device may comprise anysimilar means for removeably attaching or permanently attaching canetips to the cane stick, as the particular application may require. Forexample, the means for removeably attaching or permanently attachingcane tips to the cane stick may comprise any standard male/femalefastening means wherein (i) the cane shaft defines a protrusion and thecane tip defines a corresponding receptacle; or (ii) the cane shaftdefines a receptacle and the cane tip defines a correspondingprotrusion.

Preferably, lengthened and longer-than-standard surfaces (20) for handgripping are defined near and around both ends of the cylindrical orgeometrically cross-sectional shaped bodies of the THWS so that eitherend of the stick may be held. This allows for a virtual infinite amountof hand-grip adjustments to correspond to the desired length needed andused on variously-leveled walking and hiking surfaces, including but notlimited to stairs and hills. As an analogy, the user of the THWS changesthe position of their grip as a batter would “choke-up” on a baseballbat when hitting a baseball.

Holes (22) may be drilled through the THWS at each end to allow anelasticized cord (24), or any suitable chord, to be place through theseholes. A cord would then be positioned over the hand of the user of thestick so that if the THWS did come loose from the gripping hand, thecord should prevent the THWS from falling to the floor or down a hill.

Two hooks or extended fastener heads (26) may be placed on the shaft(15) of the THWS in order to keep the unused cord from hanging loosely.This would also prevent the cord from getting dirty should it fall onthe ground.

The THWS can also be easily used by people who have arthritis,generalized weakness, pain or other deficiencies in their lowerextremities. As the walking stick is quite light, it can be heldrelatively easily in one of the upper extremities. It can help peoplenavigate going up or down the stairs. If one is going up or down thestairs, one can use the desired length of this THWS to gain support oneach particular step. One can virtually increase or decrease the lengthof the stick by shifting placement of one's hand on the lengthy grip(20) placed on either end of the shaft (15) of the walking stick. Incontrast, a fixed-length cane is difficult to use going up or down a setof stairs.

For people with lower extremity problems, a THWS may be more useful thana traditional walking cane when just walking on level or slightly unevenground. Again, with two different types of heads that can grip theground, it is easy to flip the stick to one end or the other end and useeither tip as needed. It is also easier to extend the virtual length ofthe THWS as needed if one wants to avoid a specific spot on the groundas the THWS is much longer than a traditional walking cane.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail withrespect to particular embodiments of the Applicant's invention, it willbe apparent that the invention is capable of numerous modifications andvariations, apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A walking stick comprising: a) a shaft; b) a shaft first end; c) ashaft second end; d) a first end tip attached to the shaft first end;and e) a second end tip attached to the second end.
 2. The walking stickof claim 1 comprising a means for removeably attaching the first end tipto the shaft first end.
 3. The walking stick of claim 2 comprising ameans for removeably attaching the second end tip to the shaft secondend.
 4. The walking stick of claim 3 wherein a portion of the shaftfirst end defines a gripping surface and a portion of the shaft secondend defines a gripping surface.
 5. The walking stick of claim 3comprising a means for removeably securing the shaft first end and theshaft second end to a user's wrist.